Sign



Dec. 25, 1934. G, ANGELI 1,985,532

SIGN

Filed Sept. 26, 1932 NJ INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 25, 1934 1,985,532

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

SIGN

Guglielmo Angeli, New York, N.. Y. Application September 26, 1932, Serial No. 634,940

' ,5 Claims. (01. 40-133) This invention relates to luminous signs and the possible manners of fastening the transparmore particularly refers to improvements in ent fillers onto the display panel; signs of the type where a transparent multi- Fig. 6 shows a fragmentary detail, illustrating colored screen is interposed between a source of the possibility of using hollow transparent elelight and a display panel also carrying transments in place of the solid transparent elements 5 parent or translucent display matter. shown in Figs. 1 and 5, said hollow transparent The primary object of this invention is to proelements being adapted to be filled with liquids vide a luminous sign of a novel and improved of different colors, and 1 construction, whereby attractive multi-colored Fig. '7 shows a vertical section of a hollow letlighting effects can be obtained with relatively ter, adapted to be filled with liquids of different 10 simple and inexpensive means. colors, for use in place of the letters shown in Another object is to provide a luminous sign Fig. 1. v of a simple and relatively inexpensive construc- Referring to Figs. 1 to 5, 10 designates a casing,

tion, adapted to produce novel and attractive having at the front a display panel 11, with cutmulti-colored lighting effects of a soft, mellow out letters or signs or decorations, and provided 15 and pleasing character, comparable to the lumiwith transparent or translucent members, such nous effects produced by means of tubes conas 12, filling up the openings thus produced. taining rarefied gases, such as neon tubes. Said transparent elements may be constituted Other objects and advantages of the present by solid glass rods, as shown in Fig. 5, said rods invention will more fully appear as the descripbeing shaped to conform with the outline of let- 20' tion proceeds and will be set forth and claimed ters or signs to be displayed, and being secured in the appended claims. onto the panel by means of wire clips 13, or in The sign forming the subject of the present any other suitable manner, or else said trans-- invention is, to a certain extent, similar to anparent. elements may be in the nature of letters other type of luminous sign such as has been or signs-cast or molded in the proper shape out 25 described and claimed by me in a copendi'ng of transparent or translucent material, such as, application, entitled Luminous sign, Serial No. for instance, glass.

529,234. The similarity resides in that novel Within the casing and directly behind the disand pleasing luminous effects are obtained by play panels is rotatably mounted the screen 14:,

interposing a movable screen, comprising a plucarried by a shaft 15. Said-screen consists of a 30 rality of multi-colored transparent or transludiaphragm 16, having a circumferential series cent members between a source of light and a of radial op nin a p V transpardisplay panel, said display panel having displays ent or translucent elements or bars 1'7, made of cut out to form openings, which are fined by glass or other suitable material, said bars being transparent or translucent elements, preferably ofdifierent Colors, so as to cause the light filter" 35 made of glass having a curved or round Cross ing through them to produce varying colorations section. of the transparent or translucent display matter The present construction, however, is much by P34113111 Simpler and permits f producing an effective Light sources represented by'bulbs 18 are pro- 40 display device at a relatively much lower cost vided at the rear of the rotating screen, and in 40 than that entailed by a construction such as order to obtain a soft glow CQmPaYabIe to that advocated in my other application, above produced by rarefied gas tubes, it is preferable for ferred tllie transplaifini 1elllements (if both :ctreiera aiOnd paypane a esame econs1ue ysoi g zzgg g fi fi g i p glass bars. However, it is within the scope of my 45 Fig is g f ii fig a Sign invention to use transparent elements of a difembodying my invention; gs r 5: 33:2 ir i rig iiiroved type of sign I 2 Shows Vertlcal Sect-Ion thereof with prefer to use either in connection with the screen parts bmken away; or with the display panel, or both, hollow trans- 50 3 1S a honzontal Secuon thereof; parent elements, such as shown at 19, in Fig. 6,

4 ShOWS deFafl, Showing one of the said hollow transparent elements being provided sible ways of mounting the transparent or transwith l sure, such as a stopper 20, and being, luce nt elements onto the rotating screen; therefore, adapted to be filled with liquids of dif- 5 ShOWS another a ust at ng one of ferent colors. Such a construction makes it pos- 55 sible to alter the color effects at will, merely by changing the color of the liquids contained in the various transparent elements.

The screen can be made to rotate in any suitable manner. For instance, the outer rings 21, 22, shown in Fig. 4 as being fastened onto the diaphragm 16 by means of screws 23, may form together with said diaphragm a rim adapted to receive a belt 24, by means of which said screen may be rotated, said belt being actuated by an electric motor 25, and being preferably maintained under tension by a tensioning device, such as 26.

In Fig. 7 I show by way of example a hollow transparent or translucent letter 28, provided with a stopper 27, adapted to be used in connection with the front panel, as shown in Fig. 1, the color effects of said panel being thus made variable by filling its letters or displays with liquids of different colors.

It is, of course, within the scope of my invention to rotate the screen in any desired manner, the inventive idea proper residing in the provision of an extremely simple display device, where the transparent or translucent screen is constituted by a disk carried by a rotatable shaft; the result being a compact, effective and inexpensive construction.

The transparent members may have a circular, oval, square, hexagonal or other sections and each of them may be of the same color or may be subdivided into parts of different colors. The differently colored rods when passing along the transparent bodies of the letters or signs produce colored light variations of a most agreeable appearance.

It is obvious that although glass rods are to be preferred because of the vividness of the effects produced thereby, it is within the scope of my invention to use transparent colored units made of material other than glass.

It is obvious also that the invention may be carried into practice in a number of Ways different from those shown and described. The drawing will, therefore, be understood as being intended for illustrative purposes only and not in a limiting sense.

I accordingly reserve the right to apply my invention in all those Ways and manners which may enter, fairly, into the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a luminous sign the combination, with a casing comprising an opaque panel having display matter permitting the passage of light therethrough, and a source of light within said casing, of a rotatable shaft, a multicolored screen interposed between said source of light and said panel, carried by said shaft, said screen comprising a plate having a circumferential series of openings, and bar shaped units of difierent colors permitting the passage or" light inserted and retained within said openings.

2. A luminous sign of the character described, comprising a casing, an opaque panel having cut-out display matter in front of said casing, fillers permitting the passage of light inserted in the resulting display openings, a source of light within said casing, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted within said casing, and a screen interposed between said source of light and said panel, carried by said shaft, said screen comprising a disc having a circumferential series of openings, and bar shaped units of different colors permitting the passage of light inserted and retained Within said openings.

3. A luminous sign of the character described, comprising a casing, an opaque panel having cut-out display matter in front of said casing, fillers permitting the passage of light inserted in the resulting display openings, a source of light within said casing, a shaft rotatably mounted within said casing, a screen interposed between said source of light and said panel, said screen comprising a disc having a circumferential series of openings, and bar shaped multicolored units permitting the passage of light inserted and retained within said openings, and means for rotating said shaft.

4. A luminous sign of the character described, comprising a casing, an opaque panel having cut-out display matter in front of said casing, multicolored fillers permitting the passage of light inserted in the resulting display openings, a source of light within said casing, a shaft rotatably mounted within said casing, and a screen interposed between said source of light and said panel, carried by said shaft, said screen comprising a disc having a circumferential series of substantially radial openings, and bar shaped units of different colors permitting the passage of light inserted and retained within said openings.

5. A luminous sign of the character described, comprising a casing, an opaque panel having cutout display matter in front of said casing, multicolored fillers permitting the passage of light inserted inthe resulting display openings, a source of light Within said casing, a shaft rotatably mounted within said casing, and a screen interposed between said source of light and said panel, carried by said shaft, said screen comprising a disc having a circumferential series of substantially radial openings, and bar shaped multicolored units permitting the passage of light inserted and retained within said openings.

GUGLIELMO ANGELI. 

